In a statement made by their Women’s Officer Jess Thurgur, Uxbridge and South Ruislip Constituency Labour Party have called for the right to furlough.
The statement comes in response to a recent Trade Union Congress (TUC) report which showed that, since the closure of schools, over 70% of working mothers who asked to be furloughed for childcare reasons have been refused.
The report also revealed that 90% of working mothers had seen their anxiety and stress levels increase during this current lockdown, whilst ‘were worried about being treated negatively by their employers because of their childcare responsibilities’.
The TUC is calling for a temporary legal right to furlough for parents and carers, along a right to flexible work, an increase in the sick pay, 10 days’ paid carers leave. It is also calling for newly self-employed parents to be given access to the self-employment income support scheme (SEISS).
These calls have been backed by the Uxbridge and South Ruislip Constituency Labour Party. On behalf of the group, their Women’s Officer Jess Thurgur commented:
“Women should not have to make the impossible decision between educating their children and earning a living to financially support their children - to feed them, provide a safe & warm home and provide the necessary resources to support their education such as internet access and books”.
“Uxbridge and South Ruislip CLP strongly support the requests of the TUC”
Commenting on the TUC report, a Government Treasury spokesperson said: “It’s been clear since the first lockdown that employers can furlough eligible employees who are required to shield, or those with childcare responsibilities, including because of school closures’’.
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